Raymond Clark Sent to Max Security Prison for Annie Le Murder

Sept. 17, 2009—— -- Accused Yale murderer Ray Clark was arrested early today, brought into court in chains where he was ordered held on $3 million bail, and then sent to a maximum security prison to await trial for allegedly killing graduate student Annie Le.

The rapid chain of events brought to a climax the investigation into Le's disappearance in a Yale lab where both she and Clark worked more than a week ago. Her strangled body was discovered crammed into a wall on Sunday, the day she was supposed to get married.

A couple hours after the arrest, Clark, who has tattoos on both forearms, was brought into court to be arraigned on a murder charge. He wore khaki pants without a belt and a striped loose polo. His hands were cuffed behind his back and there were chains around his ankles.

When asked if his rights had been read to him, Clark answered "Yes" in a clear voice, but he made no other statement. Bail was set at $3 million.

Sources told ABC News that Clark refused to be interviewed by authorities.

By the afternoon, Clark was moved to the MacDougal-Walker Correctional Institution, a massive prison in South Suffield, Conn., reserved for 2,100 inmates who are considered to be high or maximum security risks.

Investigators have gathered more than 250 pieces of evidence in the case, sources told ABC News, including text messages exchanged between Clark and Le arranging to meet on the day she disappeared.

Clark was taken into custody by police early today after investigators stood vigil all night outside a Super 8 motel in Cromwell, Conn., where the suspect had retreated to room 214 on Wednesday. Earlier Wednesday, police had taken DNA samples from Clark, searched his apartment and then let him go.

A convoy of police and FBI cars pulled into the motel parking lot with lights flashing about 8:20 a.m., while others blocked off the intersection. FBI agents ran up stairs at the back of the motel. Clark was arrested minutes later without incident.

Police held a news conference almost simultaneously with the arrest, and New Haven Police Chief James Lewis said, "There were no issues with the arrest. It went smoothly."

Lewis refused to say whether there was a DNA match that linked Clark to Le, and he dismissed printed rumors of a romantic relationship between Clark and Le.

The chief hinted at the tragedy of Le's murder.

"Annie Le was a young woman of unlimited potential," he said.

Lewis said Le's murder was part of a growing wave of workplace crime.

"This is not about urban crime, university crime, or campus crime. It's about workplace violence, a growing concern across the country," he said.

Yale University President Richard C. Levin released a statement that said in part, "Mr. Clark has been a lab technician at Yale since December 2004. His supervisor reports that nothing in the history of his employment at the university gave an indication that his involvement in such a crime might be possible."

He added, "This incident could have happened in any city, in any university, or in any workplace. It says more about the dark side of the human soul than it does about the extent of security measures."

Suspect's, Victim's Lab Movements Tracked by I.D. Cards

Clark has wounds on his chest, arms and back, sources told ABC News, suggesting a violent struggle. A bead from Le's necklace was found on the floor of the basement lab where Le's body and blood spots were found on a laundry cart there.